“It’s just a distraction,” Carroll told KIRO-AM in Seattle. “It’s mixed signals that go out. Their fans are torn up. If they didn’t have a situation like this, they wouldn’t be hooting and hollering probably the way they do at (Sanchez), so it wouldn’t be as difficult. That’s just part of it. I do feel for Mark and anybody that would be in that situation.”

“I think he’s in a very difficult situation,” Carroll said of Sanchez. “The whole emphasis of the two-quarterback thing is really hard. You saw it. It didn’t get much for them. It’s got to be a little bit disruptive. I feel for him.”

Didn’t get much would be an understatement. Sanchez was just 9 of 22 for 124 yards, and had yet another costly red-zone interception to go with a lost fumble. Tebow connected on all three of his passes, but they went for a mere total of 8 yards. He had 14 yards on four rushing plays.

“This whole factor has been really hard on (Sanchez),” Carroll said. “I’m sure that it’s been confusing to their fans. That part at home has got to be hard. I don’t know this because I haven’t seen a game there but I think they’re hard on him at the stadium, too. So, it’s as hard as it can get.”

Would Sanchez be a different quarterback without the looming presence of Tebow? Be heard in the comments below…